Dr. Christine Pfund

Wisconsin Center for Education ResearchCenter for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning

Institute for Clinical and Translational ResearchUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison

Improving the Skills ofResearch Mentors

Session Goals

• Learn about the importance of effective research mentoring and its core elements;

• Explore one model of research mentor training and evidence of its effectiveness;

• Experience a few elements from our research mentor training curricula;

• Share practical tools and strategies that you can implement immediately to become a more effective mentor;

• Learn how to implement a research mentor training at your own institution using existing materials

Introductions

» Rides a bike or bus to work» Speaks more than one language» Played on a sports team in high

school or college» Grew up in a town with a population

of less than 30,000» Is a first generation college

graduate» Plays a musical instrument » Collects vacuum cleaners» Has lived abroad» Has more than two siblings» Has a relative who has or is serving

in the armed forces» Is a parent

•Think of 2 things about yourself that are not directly related to your work (see list on right for examples)

•At your tables, share what you wrote

•Imagine mentors starting their relationships this way

Defining Research Mentoring

Using one’s own experience to guide another person through an experience that requires personal and intellectual growth and development.

Within the realm of scientific research training and career development, the primary research mentor(s) plays a critical mentoring role.

And it is a PRIVILEGED position!

Principal Investigator

(Faculty)

Post-doctoral researcher

Post-Bac/ Masters/

Graduate Student

UndergraduateResearcher

Research Mentors

MENTOR/ MENTEE

MENTEE

MENTOR

The Importance of Good Mentoring Relationships

• Students being mentoring report fewer non-persistence decisions (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 2001)

• Most important factor in degree attainment was positive mentoring experience (Solorzano, 1993)

• Mentoring increases persistence in science, career satisfaction and productivity (reviewed in Sambunjak, Straus and Marusic, 2010)

• The desire to pursue a Ph.D or M.D/ Ph.D is influenced by a strong mentee-mentor relationship (McGee and Keller, 2007)

• Mentoring and research training cannot be separated from scientific research for anyone in postdoctoral or graduate student positions and should not be considered as separate objectives (NAS 2005)

• Good mentors foster independence so that mentees can go on to be successful on their own, establish themselves, and differentiate themselves from their mentors (NEJM, 1994)

Entering Mentoring Curriculum

Seminar Topics: 1 hour each

• Establishing a good relationship

• Communication

• Expectations

• Understanding

• Diversity

• Ethics

• Independence

• Developing a Mentoring Philosophy

Developed to train the graduate student, post-doc and faculty mentors of undergraduate researchers in biology

Key Elements of Research Mentor Training

•Process-based using case studies and group problem-solving•Aimed at awareness-raising•Addresses common challenges in mentoring:

• How to give effective feedback to mentees• How to help mentees navigating hierarchy in lab

(socialization, insider knowledge)• How to have productive progress reports/ check-in

meetings• How to accurately assessing knowledge and skills

(understanding)

•Provides a forum to share the collective experience of mentors across a range of experiences

Expectations:Core Session Activities

1. Discuss roles research mentors are expected to play

2. Discuss a case study about misaligned expectations between and mentor and mentee

3. Brainstorm ways to align and communicate expectations

4. Review and begin drafting a mentor-mentee compact

Example Case Study:The Slow Writer

Jaxson, a third year graduate student in my group is adept at doing research but is a very slow writer. Last fall, I set multiple deadlines that Jaxson missed, while another student in my group wrote an entire thesis chapter, submitted a paper and conducted research. Over winter break, Jaxson had a breakthrough and produced a fairly reasonable first draft of the results section of his first paper but he has barely begun work on the other sections. To avoid delays in publication, I have taken the lead in writing the manuscript based on his work. However, in order to graduate with a PhD, I realize he must write his dissertation as well as the next manuscripts himself. Setting deadlines for sections of the manuscript clearly hasn’t worked. Communicating the importance of manuscripts to the research endeavor hasn’t worked. Encouragement hasn’t worked. Veiled threats don’t seem professional. Other than being patient, what should I do?

Diversity:Core Session Activities

• Discuss ways in which diversity can impact a mentoring relationship

• Discuss a set of case studies exploring various dimensions of diversity

• Read the results of several studies on bias, prejudice and stereotype threat and apply the result to mentoring practices

Example Discussion Questions:

• Do you think everyone should be treated the same? Does treating everyone the same mean that everyone is being treated equally?

• How might a mentor’s biases impact interactions with his or her mentee?

• How can you minimize the impact of bias?

EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS

Changes in Behaviors of the Mentors

0

10

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40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Discussedmentees'

expectations ofyou, as the

mentor

Oriented toyour building

Consideredissues of

diversity inregards tomentoring

Discussed anaspect of

mentoring withyour colleague

Reflected uponor wrote your

own mentoringphilosophy

% M

ento

rs w

ho R

espo

nded

Pos

itive

ly

Untrained MentorsTrained Mentors

Pfund et al. Science 311, 473 (2006)

Research Mentor Training

• Originally used in biology (HHMI, PI: Handelsman)

• Adapted for use across science, technology, engineering, math, and social sciences (NSF #0717731, PI: Pfund) and clinical and translational science (CTSA) award mentors (NIH/NCRR ARRA UL1RR025011, PI: Dresner)

• Workshops and curricula have been developed for faculty mentors (NSF #0717731, PI: Pfund)

• The curriculum has been adapted for use in a synchronous, online venue through the NSF-funded Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Network (NSF DUE-0717768, PI: Mathieu)

• CIRTL and APS partnered to adapt the curriculum for physic mentors.

Research Mentor Training Adaptation

http://www.researchmentortraining.org/

Physics Research Mentor Training Seminar

Adaptation Team

David Ernst, VanderbiltEric Hooper, UW-Madison

Catherine Mader, Hope College Monica Plisch, APS

Alejandro Rodriguez-Wong, HarvardChandra Turpen, UM-College Park

APS Workshop 2011

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Setting expectations –

BEFORE.

Setting expectations –

NOW.

Communication skills – BEFORE.

Communication skills – NOW.

AddressingDiversity-BEFORE.

AddressingDiversity- NOW.

No Knowledge

Low Knowledge

Some Knowledge

Much Knowledge

Curriculum Overview:Mentor Training Adaptation

Mentor Training for Clinical & Translational Researchers: (https://mentoringresources.ictr.wisc.edu/)

Overview of Randomized Trial to Test Effectiveness of Mentor Training Curriculum

Curriculum AdaptationCurriculum Adaptation

Training Implementation

Training Implementation EvaluationEvaluation

Entering Mentoringcurriculum adapted for

clinical and translational researchers

Trained facilitators administered

curriculum to 16 sites across the country and in Puerto Rico

Tested the effectiveness of the

curriculum via a randomized

controlled trial

Jan 2010 Sept 2010 - Feb 2011 Aug 2011

Recruited 283 mentor/

mentee pairs across 16

sites

Mentors Randomized

Mentors Allocated to

Training Group N=144

Mentor and Mentee Baseline

Interviews (MCA) N=566

Mentor Post-Training

Surveys

Mentor and Mentee Follow-Up

Interviews (MCA)

N=552; 98%

Jan 2010 July- Oct Sept 2010 – Feb 2011 Aug 2011

Training Implementation and Evaluation:Flowchart of Research Mentor Training Trial

Mentors Allocated to

Control GroupN=139

= Implementation

= Assessment

Training Implemented

(6-14/site)

Recruited 283 mentor/

mentee pairs across 16

sites

Mentors Randomized

Mentors Allocated to

Training Group N=144

Mentor and Mentee Baseline

Interviews (MCA) N=566

Mentor Post-Training

Surveys

Mentor and Mentee Follow-Up

Interviews (MCA)

N=552; 98%

Jan 2010 July- Oct Sept 2010 – Feb 2011 Aug 2011

Training Implementation and Evaluation:Flowchart of Research Mentor Training Trial

Mentors Allocated to

Control GroupN=139

= Implementation

= Assessment

Training Implemented

(6-14/site)

Mentor Post Training SurveyN=128

1. Effectiveness of the training sessions

2. Self-reported skills gains

3. Self reported changes in behavior

Mentor Satisfaction with TrainingN=128

88%

12%

Was the 8 hour training a valuable use of your time?

YesNo

45%45%

6% 4%

Would you recommend the sessions to a colleague?

Very LikelyLikelyUnlikelyVery Unlikely

Pfund C, et al. 2013. A Research Mentor Training Curriculum for Clinical and Translational Researchers. Clinical Translational Science 2013; 6:26-33

Mentor Skills GainsN=124

Pfund C, et al. 2013. A Research Mentor Training Curriculum for Clinical and Translational Researchers. Clinical Translational Science 2013; 6:26-33

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

CommunicatingEffectively

EstablishingExpectations

AssessingUnderstanding

AddressingDiversity

FosteringIndependence

ProfessionalDevelopment

BeforeAfter

Recruited 283 mentor/

mentee pairs across 16

sites

Mentors Randomized

Mentors Allocated to

Training Group N=144

Mentor and Mentee Baseline

Interviews (MCA) N=566

Mentor Post-Training

Surveys

Mentor and Mentee Follow-Up

Interviews (MCA)

N=552; 98%

Jan 2010 July- Oct Sept 2010 – Feb 2011 Aug 2011

Training Implementation and Evaluation:Flowchart of Research Mentor Training Trial

Mentors Allocated to

Control GroupN=139

= Implementation

= Assessment

Training Implemented

(6-14/site)

Mentoring Competency Assessment26 items

1Not at

allSkilled

2 3 4Moderately

Skilled

5 6 7Extremely

Skilled

Effective Communication (6 items)

Aligning Expectations (5 items)

Assessing Understanding (3 items)

Addressing Diversity (2 items)

Fostering Independence (5 items)

Promoting Professional Development (5 items)

Fleming M, House S, et al. The Mentoring Competency Assessment: Validation of a New Instrument to Evaluate Skills of Research Mentors. Academic Medicine, 2013 May 22 [Epub ahead of print]

Post InterviewMCA Example Questions

1Not at

allSkilled

2 3 4Moderately

Skilled

5 6 7Extremely Skilled

Working with mentees to set clear expectations of the mentoringrelationship-BEFORE

Working with mentees to set clear expectations of the mentoringrelationship-NOW

Accurately estimating your mentees’ level of scientific knowledge-BEFOREAccurately estimating your mentees’ level of scientific knowledge-NOW

Fleming M, House S, et al. The Mentoring Competency Assessment: Validation of a New Instrument to Evaluate Skills of Research Mentors. Academic Medicine, 2013 May 22 [Epub ahead of print]

IMPLEMENTING THE CURRICULUM: GETTING STARTED AT YOUR INSTITUTION

Implementation of Research Mentor Training

• Who should be trained? • How will you recruit participants?• Who will support implementation?• Who will manage logistics?• Who will facilitate the training sessions?• Who will evaluate the training?

Recruitment of Mentors

• Effective mentoring saves time and is more rewarding

• Evidence indicates research mentor training is effective

• Even experienced mentors learn strategies for more effective mentoring from the training

• Federal funding agencies are calling for evidence-based mentor training

Resources to Support ImplementationAvailable Curricula

Implementation and Recruitment Guides Build Your Own Curricula

Resources by Stage of RelationshipEvaluation Instruments and Links

Train the Trainer Workshops

https://mentoringresources.ictr.wisc.edu/

http://www.researchmentortraining.org/

Legacy Resource

https://mentoringresources.ictr.wisc.edu/

Identifying Critical Factors In Mentoring Relationships

And ThenAugmenting our Training to Address Those

Factors

NIH #1R01GM094573-0PI: Byars-Winston, co-I: Pfund

Multicultural Cube Ivey et al. (1993)

Learning Goals for Mentees

Part 1: Students will find a research mentor, establish a mentoring relationship, write a research project proposal, and begin research.

Part 2: Students will make significant progress on their research project, present their findings in a public venue, and write a mini-grant proposing the next phase of their research.

Entering Research: Mentee Training

Thank you!

Moncia and Ted

Many, many partners and collaborators:Angela Byars-Winson, Janet Branchaw, and Jo Handelsman

NIH

Workshop Evaluation

Please complete the workshop evaluation and leave on the table before you leave.

Thank you!